And I Will Pull The Trigger
by Evangeline Elibeth Mariette
Summary: Clay wakes up from an odd dream to find another tape sitting on his desk... It's Hannah of course, and her voice is frantic, terrified. Is she really dead? rated T for a bit of language...
1. The Tape

~ I decided that the book could be kept the same and still have a happy end... the type of suspenseful theme I'm trying to use is inspired by two of my favorite authors - Dean Koontz and Lisa Gardner. Hopefully this story is far from over! :) ~

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Chapter One: The Tape

I rubbed my forehead in a hollow attempt at soothing the headache that had planted itself in my brain. How could I live like this? How could I have let her go so easily? Why was I such a scared little bitch that I couldn't even find the words to talk to the girl I thought I was falling in love with? Why was it so easy to sit here and contemplate all of this, when an angel had eaten her death, and fallen to silence?

I didn't know. Honestly, I couldn't figure it out. I'd been this way all my life, always second-guessing so much so that I never did anything because I was afraid of the consequences.

But no, I couldn't blame myself completely. There were others at fault here. Others.

But then why did I feel so stupid? I knew all too well that I could've prevented this, I could've helped her. But I didn't know what was going to happen! I thought I had time, I was going to... I didn't know, I didn't...

Ah well, it was all in the past now. The past.

I stepped across my room and turned out the light, then walked back and fell onto my bed. I closed my eyes and soon fell into a deep sleep, the most rest I've had since...

**"Please, Clay. I need you," she looked at me with such need in her eyes, her beautiful eyes; it was hard to listen to what she was saying when I was busy looking at those eyes. "I need you, please come to me."**

** "I promise, I am. I'm coming for you, Hannah," a thought flashed across my mind, and I knew I had to tell her. "I love you."**

** "I know, I know. We can hear things here, we know..." she trailed off, smiling softly, and I didn't need her to explain what she meant. I knew she was dead still, I knew she hadn't come back. But I couldn't figure out why I could see her so clearly, why she looked like she was actually sitting with me in my room, on my bed. Sure, it seemed like a dream, in all its outrageousness, but I felt wide awake. "I love you, too, Clay. You were my romeo... are my romeo."**

** She cupped my cheek in her hand, sorrow and regret filling her eyes. **

** "I have to tell you, Clay. I have to tell you all of it," a tear silently fell down her cheek. "Oh, God, Clay. You have no idea. It went wrong, I messed up. I can't believe, he said... he told me...." She was crying now, and I wanted nothing more than to hold her in my arms, to comfort her. I held her tight, stroking her back and hair. And then her words hit me.**

** "Who, who told you? Told you what, babe?" I whispered, not breaking my rhythm, keeping her calm, the tears at bay.**

** "I can't, not now. He's coming, Clay. He's coming for you next, but if you hurry, you can fix this. We can fix this."**

** I didn't understand, and she was slipping out of my grasp, backing away. "What...?"**

** "He is not what he seems, Clay, remember that." She paused, kissing him lightly. "I am still here, Clay. You must find me... Lies...." Her voice held a strange echoing effect in that last word, and suddenly she was gone.**

I woke up in a cold sweat, realizing it was a dream. It was. Only a dream.

I got up, and in the default mode that had become my mask, I began getting reading for the day.

And then I stopped dead in my tracks when I found a single, small, black tape lying on my desk. "Help," was all it said.

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Well, did you like it? Please review, and I'll work on the next chapter as soon as I get the time!


	2. Street Signs

~ Alright everybody. Ready for Chapter Two? Well, wait no more, here it is! :) I think this story's going to turn out good, and I hope you think so too.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, and the evil beings soon to show themselves! ~

Chapter Two: Street Signs

Immediately after finding the tape, I shoved it into my jeans pocket and walked downstairs.

"Hey kiddo, did you get your tape?" My mother asked me.

"What?" I was out of breath, not understanding for a minute.

"Yeah, someone left a box on our porch, this morning I guess, and there was just that tape inside and a note saying it was for you." She must've seen my shocked expression, because then she said, "No, I didn't listen to it."

"Oh... Thanks. I'll see you later, mom." I said walking out the door. It was a Saturday, and I had to find Tony. I needed to know what this tape said, and he was the only way I was going to do that - his walkman.

I walked down the sidewalk to his house. No need to lie and sneek this time, since Tony knew the everything, so I went right up to his front door. When he answered, I asked him for his walkman.

"Why?" he asked, eyeing me warily.

"Tony, someone mailed me another tape," I lowered my voice, as if the air was going to care about my secret. If I could trust anyone with this, I hoped it was him.

"From who? Are you listening to yourself man? She's dead...," Tony's tone was one of pure bewilderment. I pulled the tape out of my pocket and handed it to him. "Jesus, you're serious? Nah...," he said and stepped back from the doorway, allowing me into the house.

"I didn't believe it either. Any other day I would've thought it was a joke, a prank, man. But after that dream I had, I just don't know." He looked at me, a questioning expression on his face, so I explained the entire dream to him.

After I finished, his face had become blank, and it was obvious he was deep in thought. And then he was up off of the bed, rummaging around in a closet. He pulled his head back out, and in his hand was the walkman. He stepped back over to the bed, and in an instant I had the tape into the player, pushing play as soon as the earphones were in place.

Hannah began in a frantic tone, speaking between sobs.

_Oh God, Clay... You have no idea. It was... staged.... All... All of it, staged. The doctors, ambulance... nurses... doctor... Damn doctor... Pills... _

She paused for several minutes, and had I not been able to hear her breathing, I would've assumed the tape was over. It seemed she was calming herself down. When her voice returned to the tape, she sounded as if she was fine again - scared, but fine. This time there was something very urgent, very serious, underlining her voice.

_Listen to me, Clay, listen good. I'm not sure where, but he took me. Lucky the rag on my face slipped so irritatingly onto my nose... I was able to see a little bit. Lucky, I have a good memory. _

Next thing I knew, Hannah was talking at the speed of light, and it took me a moment to realize she was rattling of street names. I motioned for Tony to hand me a pen and paper. He looked confused, but went along with it.

_Hurry, Clay. We stopped there, and walked. We walked right. Last thing I saw... Big, blue, couldn't see what... Find me, Clay. Remember, he's not what he seems. Please, God, remember that. _

And then she was gone again, but I could still here her breathing, and then in the background another voice came on. Very faintly, another girl whispered to Hannah.

_"He's coming, give it-- oh... hurry!"_

There was the faint sound of running, and then the tape shut off.

"Tony, we need your car. You got it runnin'?" He just looked at me, but didn't object. Instead, he led me out of the house and into the garage.

"What going on?" He asked me, but still got into the car. I copied him and got into the passenger seat, popping the tape into his radio.

We sat silent for all the time it took for him to listen to Hannah.

When it was over, I turned to him and said, "Street names." Understanding flooded his face, and then just as quickly dissolved.

"Wait a minute...," he reached under him, and when his hand came back out from underneath the seat, it was holding a map. He looked down at it, traced a jagged line with his finger.

"She said they turned right, walking. Then a big, blue thing...," His face flushed as his thoughts mirrored mine, and I didn't have to finish the sentence for him to know what I was going to say. Whoever this "he" was, he had taken Hannah to the old asylum. Which was actually very strange, since it had been abandoned for quite some time. But all the same, the only thing that could be big and blue like that in this town was that old place; it had a giant blue sign right at the front of the gate.

"What'd she mean, staged?" Tony looked at me for a long minute, waiting for me to answer, before realizing I didn't have one, and then pulled out of his driveway.

We drove in silence, with Tony occasionally asking to see the list so he could know where to turn. Eventually, we were right out in front of the giant, ominous building.

"So, what do we do now?"

"I don't know. I guess we should've thought that through," I said. "If she was kidnapped, there's going to be someone watching her. How do we get past that?"

"There's only one way to save her though, if she's really in there. I mean, we can't just go tell someone about this, because first of all, they'd think we're crazy, and second of all, even if they did believe us, what if we're wrong?"

"You're right. Well, then, are you ready?"

"No time like the present, I guess." In a second, Tony was out of his car. I did the same and soon we were both standing in front of the big blue sign, neither of us wanting to take the first steps onto the path that led through the tree-barrier that separated the asylum from the rest of the world.

I stuck my foot out, and the rest of my body followed suit, until I was walking at a normal pace again. Tony caught up and was right beside me, half way to the front steps, when we both stopped cold. Hannah wasn't here.

"Ah, shit."

~Well, what'd you guys think? Was it worth the wait? I have a third chapter I'm working on, too, now, so if you like this, there'll be more soon! :) Remember to review!~


	3. Senses

~ Hope you enjoyed the last chapter! Hope you like this one as well! :) Enjoy!

P.S. In answer to your reviews, I know, I usually put the line or whatever, but I forgot last time. Sorry :(. And all will be explained in due time (I can't exactly explain right now, because I myself am still figuring it out, haha)! Make sure you remember the second voice from the first tape, she's important. :)

Disclaimer: I only own the plot, as has been previously stated! ~

Chapter Three: Senses

A tape. Another tape, sitting on the doorstep of the old asylum.

"All right," Tony said, irritated that we got all worked up over nothing. "Well, come on, we might as well go back to the car."

So we did, and again I popped the tape in.

_I am so sorry, if you thought you were going to find me. It's not going to be that easy, Clay. I know. Listen, Clay. I didn't take enough pills, and they were getting ready to send me home. Then I died again, Clay. He came, and he messed it up. I don't know what he did, but he got me out of there, and nobody stopped him. The only thing I can think is he was taking me to the morgue or something. But I don't see how that makes sense, because I'm not dead... obviously. I don't know. I'm sorry. I am really, really sorry._

She stopped talking, and we could only hear that voice from the first tape mumbling in the background. And then she came back with an odd twinge to her voice.

_Don't forget, Clay, he is not what he seems. Never was. Now..._

Hannah was still talking, but I couldn't make myself pay attention to her words. That other voice was still there, talking under Hannah's, as if it were coming from behind her, across the room or something. I couldn't help but feel like I knew that voice, like it held some importance.

Suddenly I realized that the tape was over and Tony was staring at me with a very odd expression.

"Dude, did you hear any of that?"

"What?"

"You were staring off into space that whole time."

"Oh, I don't know. I feel like we know that voice. Not Hannah's, but the other one."

"I don't know, man. Whatever," he paused. "What'd she mean by building blocks?"

"I have no idea. Where would there be building blocks in this town?" I stopped, thinking a minute. "Wait, building blocks? What the hell... Isn't that what you call the toy blocks? Building blocks...," I kept seeing the nursery flash in my head.

"You think it's Mrs. Howard's? Why would she be there?"

"I don't know, but where else are you going to see building blocks?"

"I guess...," he said, and we pulled away from the dirt shoulder of the road, heading in the direction of the little nursery down on the other side of town.

A few minutes before reaching the nursery, Tony said, "So, we're expecting another tape, right?"

"Yeah, I don't think we're getting Hannah yet."

"So, if it's the nursery, she can't just leave it on the doorstep; someone'd see it and take it." Tony had a point.

"You're right, but what else would she do? I don't think she'd hide it... She probably wouldn't have time, given the circumstances." I stopped, realizing how ridiculous that sounded, considering we knew nothing about what was going on.

"Too late to think about it now, might as well just go inside." Again, Tony was right. We were right outside the nursery, and what else were we going to do?

We got out and headed for the door. Immediately, Mrs. Howard was all over us.

"Oh, hello boys! So good to see you!" Mrs. Howard was the type of person whom you would expect to pinch your cheeks given the chance. "My, it's been years, hasn't it?"

"Yes, I suppose it has." I was already uncomfortable, and it was obvious that Tony was also. "Mrs. Howard, have you seen a small box, or a --"

"Yes, yes. Right here, dear. Nice young lady dropped it off for you yesterday, said you'd be coming around sooner or later. She was so sweet

"Oh... Thank you," a strange feeling festered in my stomach when she dropped the tape into my hand. "Um, Mrs. Howard, you wouldn't be able to tell me what she looked like, would you?"

"Oh, yes, of course," she paused, looked at her hands in thought. "Mind you, I've not got much of a memory now, but I do remember what she was wearing. Well, I remember all there is you can get from an outfit like that. It was plain gray, and baggy. Not very becoming of a young lady. But the times don't like to listen to old folks, you know."

"Thank you, Mrs. Howard." Why did that sound so familiar? Not much to go on, and yet my mind was screaming at me, that I knew somewhere what that meant.

Out on the sidewalk, heading back to the car, Tony said, "Look, there's that girl... Ah, you know. Whatshername."

"What are you talking about it?" I looked up, and there was Skye Miller heading down the sidewalk a few yards ahead of us. "Skye...," again was that familiar feeling, and that awful pain in my stomach.

"Wonder what she's doing...," suddenly, Skye was gone, running around some corner to where we couldn't see her anymore. "Weird."

"No, there's something about her, something...,"

"What are you talking about?" He asked as we got into his car again.

Just as I was about to put the tape into the player, it hit me.

"God, Tony. Shit. The baggy clothes. The voice. That voice, Tony. Think about it."

"What?"

"It's Skye!"

"What? No," he shook his head, as if that would make the truth any different. "That doesn't make any sense."

"Nothing makes any freaking sense anymore. Goddammit."

~I know, this one's not very good, but I was almost literally writing down thoughts as they came to me, so... Yeah. Hope you liked it anyway :) I'll try to update again soon.~


	4. The Poem

~ Sorry for the last chapter. I know it wasn't the best. But maybe this chapter will be better? Up to you! :)

Disclaimer: I only own the plot. ~

Chapter Four: The Poem

"God, you've got to be kidding me."

"Tony, we can't do anything now. She's gone. Only thing left to do is listen to the tape."

"I know, I know." I pushed the play button.

_I'm sorry it took three tapes. I know this is ridiculous. But I can't very well come to you, now can I? I know, stupid question. Anyway, I was looking at the stars the other night, because I can see a few through the hole, and I swear they made the shape of a space ship. Maybe a rocket ship. I don't know. Maybe it was aliens. _

She paused to laugh at herself. This was the weirdest tape yet, because Hannah had that strange sound in her voice again, almost like she wanted to be hysterical, crazy, but couldn't quite figure out how.

_I wrote you a poem. I know, Hannah the Poet, right? Ha. _

_The trees hide what holds me close,_

_Fear of what may lie untold._

_I stare up at the rocket stars,_

_And wonder if you understand._

_Just beyond the trees,_

_Just beyond green fins._

_I lie inside and wait for you,_

_I'll wait for you to find the Evil._

_Thank you and goodnight._

And she's gone once again.

"That was absolutely meaningless. How are we supposed to find her now?" Tony asked, sounding irritated again.

"I don't think we're looking at it right."

"You can only look at gibberish one way."

"No, Tony, think about it."

"Why do you keep saying that?"

"Seriously. That's the second time she's said rocket, and then she said 'green fins'. What else could it be?"

"He kidnapped her and hid her at the park? Is that a joke? Like one of those hidden-in-plain-sight things?"

"No... Didn't she keep repeating something about trees? Trees hide what holds her close...," something kept threatening to click into place in my brain, but would back off every time I started to pay attention to it.

"Yes. There's that big row of trees behind the park. I peeked back there when I was a kid. Nothing but a bunch more trees. Real creepy. You think it's one of those situations where the crazy dude locks his victims in a hole in the forest?" He looked at me like I was insane. I shook my head at him.

"No, but close enough," I said. "I've been all the way through those trees before, before I got stuck in the rocket that time and the fire department had to come. You remember that?"

"Yeah."

"Remember, a week later Mrs. O'Grady died."

~I know, the story is starting to sound ridiculous and it doesn't make sense, but I think it will in the end.

And also, is it just me, or is my writing getting worse as I go along? Please tell me your honest opinions, so I can verify whether or not I'm actually going crazy. :/ And sorry this chapter was so short...~


	5. Look Behind

~ Hello again! Hope you like this! Everything will be explained in the end, I hope. I wrote a basic outline of the story the other day, and it made sense there, so hopefully I can make it make sense in these chapters, too, ha. :) Enjoy!~

Chapter Five: Look Behind

"Oh, shit. I forgot she lived back there. That old cabin right? I thought it was abandoned."

"Nah, they sold it...," I trail off, trying to remember who that land was sold to. "Dr. Richardson!"

"No kidding. Think that's the doc she's talking about?"

"Who else could it be? Tony, we've got to get back there."

"Right," he says. "I still don't see how Skye ties in."

"Well, considering she's helping Hannah, she's got access to where Hannah is, right? So maybe she's a helper... Like keeping an eye on Hannah for the sicko, and then secretly helping her too."

"When did that guy come to town? Like the same time Hannah moved here, right? That matches up within a month or two of when Skye turned into a hermit."

"Yeah... it makes sense."

"But if that's the case, why doesn't Skye just help Hannah break out?"

"I don't know."

With nothing left to say, we head to Eisenhower Park.

"Are you ready, dude?" Tony asks.

"How can you be ready for something like this? Come on, let's go." I mutter and we step onto the grass of the playground.

"Shh, stop." Tony whispers. "Did you see that?"

"Yeah," I whisper back. There's someone moving about twenty yards ahead of us in the trees, heading in the direction of the cabin. "Okay, we better follow 'em. What if it's that creep? Or maybe it's Skye."

We edge forward, careful of making a sound, and soon I can see that it is Skye. She glances behind her shoulder every two seconds and Tony and I keep having to jump behind the huge trees. Finally, she steps into a clearing; we linger behind, keeping to the shadows of the forest so we can watch her.

Now we can see the fair-sized, one-story house. It resembles a cabin, in the way that it's unpainted wood, stained instead. There are windows all around the house, and the front door itself has a small window at the top. Skye disappears inside, and we make our move, not caring if anyone sees or hears us now that we're this close, and run straight for the door. Tony gets there first and shoves it open. I follow quickly after and we stumble into an old living room, smelling faintly of jerky. I feel nauseous immediately, but I push the urge to the back of my mind. A sense of hatred hangs in the air, coating the furniture, the wallpapered hallway, the painted walls. The entire house looks like a movie set and the scene builds the rage in my head for some reason, balls my fists at my sides.

"Where'd she go?" I ask. Tony nods his head towards a door standing ajar half-way down a darkened hall to my left.

"I figured," Tony says when we reach the door and see that it opens up to stairs. "You first, man."

I pass him and start down the stairs. The stairwell itself is dark, but Ican see light seeping through the door at the bottom. When I reach that door, I stop and wait for Tony, who is going a great deal slower than me. "Ready? One, two --" I whisper and shove the door open on three.

We are facing another dimly lit hallway that goes straight from where I'm standing to the back of the basement. There are two doors on each side of the hallway, all of them shut tight. "Tony, you take those, I'll check these." I say and set off to those on the right.

The first room is filled with nothing more than a cot and dresser. I take into account that there are no windows. The second room is a bathroom. It's very basic, with no decorations, not even paint, just a toilet, sink, and shower stall. I close the door and turn back to Tony. "Whadya got?" I say, my voice kept low.

"The first room is empty," he tells me. I step over and we get ready to open the last door together. I count to three again and then the door is open. There, sitting on another cot, is Hannah, Skye, and two other girls I've never seen before.

Skye looks at us as if we're Death, come to take her away.

Hannah looks at us as if we're God, come to take her away.

The other two girls just look at us, expressionless, but I still catch a fleeting flicker of hope in their eyes. I wonder how long they've been here that they can wear such emotionless masks.

And then I can see the bruises on their arms. On Hannah's, too. Everywhere but their faces, they're covered in bruises and welts, the skin actually broken in a few places. I suddenly want to kill this man, a feeling so overwhelming to me I almost fall to the ground.

For what seems like hours, no one speaks. And then I break the silence.

"Is it Richardson?" I ask. One of the girls I don't recognize nods. "Jesus. He lives here with you? Up there?" She nods again.

"He takes them from the hospital and brings them here," Skye whispers so low that I have to watch her mouth move to make sure she's actually speaking. I've never seen Skye look so distressed.

"Jesus," I say again. "How long have the two of you been here?"

"We're not really sure. We lost count at eight, stopped caring. Hannah came about three weeks ago," the one closest to me says, her voice almost as quiet as Skye's. Both girls are staring off into space but I can tell they are paying attention, hanging on every word. We are their only hope of escape, I can tell, and they aren't about to pass it up.

"That makes sense. That's about when everyone stopped hearing from your parents. We all assumed it was because they were gone, back to the town you moved from, for your funeral. But it was because they couldn't find your body. Oh man," I shake my head and drag my hands down my face.

I walk over to a small table and sit down, letting my head fall into my hands. I look up at the four girls in front me through my fingers and mutter, "What has he done to you?" I wish I could embrace Hannah right now, hug her as if life depended on it. And in a sense, life does depend on it. But I can't do that just yet. We've got to stop this guy. Every single cell in my body is coiled and preparing to fight if necessary. We've got to find him before he finds us.

"Oh, shit, man." I hear Tony speak for the first time since finding Hannah and the others. My blood goes cold as I realize we've waited around a moment too long.

"Hello, gentleman."

~ Please, review! I can't wait to see how you react to the next chapter, as well, when I post it.

Hope this fulfilled your expectations! :) See you soon!~


	6. And I Will Pull The Trigger

~Okay, the chapter _I _have been waiting for! Hope you like it! I had a great deal of fun writing it, and in fact, my shoulders are very tense from how long I've been sitting hear writing (minus the times I left to eat pizza a play pac-man) ! Please, enjoy!~

Chapter Six: And I Will Pull The Trigger

Dr. Richardson must have snuck down to us while we were talking. Why the hell didn't we get the girls and leave? That should've been the first thing we did. But it was so amazing to actually find them, it's not like we were thinking clearly. Jesus.

Immediately after he finishes his "hello", Tony and I are on him. We get as far as pushing him out of the little room and into the hall when he swings. His fist collides with Tony's jaw, catching him off guard, and Tony falls back against the wall hard. Richardson turns on me. I've got no where to go, any of the rooms would just corner me, so I bolt for the stairs. Up, up, up, and then I'm out into the first hall when he jumps on me. We fly into the living room, hit the floor and roll, and my ear slams into the wooden coffee table. It's insanely painful and so hot I can't tell if I'm bleeding or not. It doesn't matter.

Richardson is on top of me. Before I've completely collected myself, he's hitting me. I feel my nose break, the blood pouring into my mouth, and I don't care. I don't care about anything. I just know that this man needs to get off of me, and fast. He's got both my arms pinned to the floor, and he crashes his forehead into mine. The pain is blinding, but I don't need to see for what I do next. Wrenching my right arm free, I jam it into his gut before he can stop me. He lurches backwards and a gun I didn't know he had flies across the room.

Just like that, we're on our feet. The gun is too far away for either of us to get it without being stopped by the other just yet.

"Clay," he says. "I am so glad to finally meet you." He's speaking in an utterly unsettling too-normal tone. I suddenly want to vomit again. But once again, I shove the thought away, and instead I distance myself as far as possible from this man. When I'm all the way on an opposite side of the room from him, I pull my shirt over my head and ball it up, because I need something to wipe my face with. I don't take my eyes off of him all the time it takes me to clear the blood away, and then I toss the shirt to the floor. As if nothing is wrong between us, he waits patiently for me to finish, and then continues speaking.

"Your little friend -- Hannah -- talks about you, you know." He says. I'm surprised to hear this, and I'm sure it shows on my face, because he adds, "Not directly, but in her sleep. Very odd things, the stuff she says."

"Like what?" I warily edge my way closer to the gun, since it's only near seven feet away now. "What does she say?"

"My little apple seems to think she loves you. And what's more astonishing is that she seems to think you love her!" He exclaims with a chuckle and a wide-eyed look of hilarity. "I've told her before that no one could ever love a thing like her, but lately she refuses to believe me. Of course, it isn't very helpful that you should show up just now; you'll make her think she's right."

"What if she is right? What if I do?" I ask and he seems genuinely taken aback, with a hand to his chest to complete the expression.

"Why, how could you? How could you love her? She isn't worth it, my boy. Not worth the time of day." I am glowing with rage now, and in a crazed rush of adrenaline I forget the gun and fly across the room.

With a strength I didn't know I had, because I've never had to access it before, I grab Richardson's arm and twist it behind his back until I can almost feel the thing about to break. I bang his chest to the wall and put my mouth right next to his ear.

"Hannah is worth the world, you sick fuck." I yank him back and slam him into the wall once more before pushing myself away from him and leaping back across the room in the direction of the gun. I've got it in my hand just barely when I feel his hand on my ankle, dragging me back. I thrust my other leg towards him and make contact with his left cheekbone, causing him to yelp in pain and loosen his hold above my foot. That's all I need to wriggle free.

I start to bring the gun up and... realize too late that it's on the safety lock.

"Shit."

Richardson's closing in, so I do the next best thing and slam the gun into the side of his head, allowing another yelp to escape, but at the same time allowing the gun to fling itself from my hand. It falls a foot away from Richardson's boots, and I have no hope of catching it. He seems to be in a daze, however, and doesn't see where the gun has fallen. Instead, he shakes his head and lunges for me. I fall into the bar of the kitchen, the stools clattering to the floor. He flies forward again and his fist is pounding me anywhere it can find.

The blood sliding down his face threatens my stomach once more, but I refocus the sick feeling and grab one of the stools on the tile next to me. The moment it collides with his side, I leap up and grab the gun again. Too late. Richardson is right on my tail and we're both down in an instant. I catch his right eyebrow with the butt of the gun, and blood sloshes into his eye, obscurring his vision for a moment, but once again, not long enough. He smacks me backhand across the face just as I bring the gun up, and his hand finds that, too, in its swing. I let my gaze shift and I watch the gun make an arc through the air and then clatter against the floor near the opening of the hallway. In that second while I am looking away, Richardson takes the advantage. I am unable to get my arms free and the bastard pins my neck down and sits on my chest, both cutting off my source of air and squeezing the air I already aquire out of my lungs. Within seconds my vision goes hazy and I begin to imagine footsteps on the other side of the living room.

~Tony~

"Fuck, that hurt." Tony says, shaking his head to rid himself of that sick feeling after blacking out.

"You haven't been out for very long," one of the girls tells him.

"Yeah, only a few seconds, really." Hannah says.

The two unknown girls finally seem to have snapped out of whatever trance-like nothingness they had been consumed by. "My name is Sarah McHare, by the way." The first one, the tall blonde, says.

"And I'm Casey Jones," the other one, the petite red-head, says.

"Tony," he offers. "Goddamn, did you hear that? Sounded like they dropped a bomb up there."

"He's got a gun," Skye whispers.

"What?!" Tony screeches.

"A gun."

"Oh, no," Tony scrambles to his feet and then stops and looks around himself. "Where's Hannah?"

Tony and the three girls run for the door, and then up the stairs.

~Hannah~

"Yeah, only a few seconds, really." Hannah says, and then slides away, knowing the others aren't really paying attention to her. She slowly edges her way up the staircase, listening to the fainter and fainter words of the others below her and to the louder and louder thrashing sounds ahead of her. She reaches the top, and sees that sitting there at the edge of the hallway is a gun. Silently, she stalks over to it, picks it up, and then stops dead in her tracks at the sight before her.

Clay and the doctor have beaten the shit out of eachother, and Richardson's got Clay pinned to the floor, strangling him.

Suddenly, Hannah forgets herself and rushes across the room, forgets that the thing in her hand is a gun, and slams it into the back of the doctor's head.

~back to Clay~

Just when I think that I am going to lose consciousness, air bursts into my lungs, and I realize the pressure is gone from my throat. Slowly, my sight comes back. Hannah and Richardson are standing a yard or two away from me.

No, not standing. More like he's beating her, and she's trying as best she can to defend herself, then giving up on that and just doing what she can to shield herself. I can't move for a few minutes, and in that time I feel like I'm going to go crazy if I have to sit there and watch Hannah die right before my eyes for another second, when suddenly I am standing and I can hear the fresh adrenaline pumping in my ears. With the new wave of power, I have the long rectangular coffee table in my hands before I really realize I've picked it up. Richardson's back is to me. I break the table across his back, shards of the glass top stabbing him, others falling jagged to the carpet.

"Clay!" Hannah screams. I look up in time to block the ceramic vase that is hurtling toward me with my forearm, and cry out even though I feel no pain; the sound that comes is more a growl than anything else.

I notice from the corner of my eye that Tony is barreling down the hallway, the other girls in tow, and he and I make eye contact. It's as if he's reading my mind and in a second we ram into Richardson, one of us on either side. The three of us fly into the adjoining kitchen, Richardson struggling to keep up with fighting the both of us.

Tony breaks away just long enough to toss his phone at the girls. The red-headed girl jumps for it, dialing 911 as soon as she flips it open.

Over in the corner, safe away from the fight, the other girl is tending to Hannah, no doubt checking for broken bones. I can't see Skye anywhere. Then briefly, I catch a glimpse of the top of her head, behind the bar. What is she doing?

Then Richardson's fist reconnects with my nose. The second break sends a line of fire through my brain, and I almost collapse. Tony hauls the doctor into the wall as I crash into the counter, flinging a hand out to catch my balance.

_Bang!_ The shot is barely ringing through the air when the next ones crack. _Bang! Bang! _Three shots.

"You fucking whore! I'll kill you!" Richardson blares into the sudden silence. He makes to leap forward and then crumples, blood smearing on the shiny pink tiles. His breathing is labored, and he looks like he's ready to faint, and he might, but the wounds aren't fatal, and not anywhere he'll bleed out any time soon.

I look around me, still slightly dumb-founded at the fact that it's over, for the most part. And there, on the other side of the bar, is Skye, holding the smoking gun. Her eyes are wide, and then she blinks down at her hands, at the gun, and tears stream down her face. She throws the gun down and falls to the floor, cradling her head in her hands. Her shoulders shake with the heaving sobs, and Tony rushes to comfort her. He curls an arm around her shoulders and pulls her up to stand, then into a tight embrace. Skye hugs him back, greatful for the very real affection, and floods his shoulder.

With Hannah and the one girl still in the corner, and Tony with Skye crying on the couch, I am left alone with myself and the other girl.

I catch her eye and we walk into the hall.

"So, how did this start?" I ask, still catching my breath.

"I don't know. Sarah and I were in the same room at the hospital, and we'd never even seen Dr. Richardson, until the day he came into our room in the middle of one night. He drugged us with something, I guess, and next thing I knew we were being dragged through some sort of tunnel, maybe just a dim hallway. I don't know. But then we were here," she pauses. "I'm Casey, by the way."

"Clay. So," I don't know what to say. And then I remember Skye. "How does she tie in to all of this?" I nod my head in Skye's direction.

"Oh. Doc found her years ago, when he first transferred to the hospital out here. I guess it was one of those psychological hold things, like the fear was too much for her or something, because try as she might, she could never bring herself to call the cops, or help us get out. I was really surprised when Hannah got her to get those tapes to you."

"Well, it was indirect, which probably helped."

"Yeah. You're pretty lucky, you know," she says, suddenly. "That Hannah, she's a sweetheart."

I make a "hum" noise with the back of my throat in answer, and glance back at her.

"She loves you."

I just stare at Casey, unblinking. For some reason, hearing this from Casey makes it seem true, and my heart catches in my throat.

"I love her, too." I say, then steer my mind back on track. "Did you get the police? Address and everything?"

"Yes."

"God. So, who's the doc, anyway? Why did he pick Hannah? She said on one of the tapes that he lied to her, I think. What happened?"

"Well, a few years ago, when the doc came here, it was because he had followed her family. They used to live on the same street in that other town, I guess. He was obsessed, like any sicko would be. Then he trapped Skye one night and got it in her head that she could never leave him, betray him, or he'd murder her family and whatnot, whatever it is that psycho assholes tell their helpers. Skye helped him keep an eye on Hannah, y'know. When she reported back that Hannah was looking suicidal, haircut and all, he made his move. Found a way to meet her, talked to her about it, gave her a fresh bottle of pills, who knows what kind, and that was that. Planted the idea for the tapes. He had it all planned out. All of it. He even knew that she would survive, obviously. Then he'd take her here with the rest of us. But she realized that he had lied to her when she woke up in the hospital. She loved you man. Loves you. And she knew you loved her, too. She could feel it," she pauses. Takes a few breaths. "You know, you're the only thing that has kept her _awake_ through this nightmare. Dude, when Hannah came in here talking about you, I mean, you were the only thing keeping the rest of us sane, as well. You were the hope." Oh, God.

"You guys let it all rest on me? You didn't even know me. What if I was some jerk? You had no way of knowing."

"True, but you've never heard her talk in her sleep," she says, and we leave it at that.

We turn and head back into the living room. Sarah and Hannah are in the kitchen now, having carefully stepped over Richardson's shaking body, and are filling up cups of water for everyone. I walk over to them and take in the sight of Hannah. Her back is turned to me, and she doesn't look to badly hurt.

"Hannah," I call softly. She turns and just looks into my eyes for the longest time. She doesn't look too bad in front either; only some minor busts in her skin, but otherwise the bruises are all old. And then I spy the marks on her neck, and realize that he had been choking her before I hit him with the table. Jesus. I hold my arms out, the lingering pain only brief, then I am numb to all pain as she walks into my arms. I can feel only the warmth of her, I can see only this beautiful creature in my arms. And I love her.

"Oh, Hannah," I whisper again, and my voice breaks slightly at her name. I gently caress her back, her hair, her arms, careful not to move to fast or be rough even in the slightest. We're both still fragile at this point, not that I care about me.

"Here," Sarah holds out the water, ice cubes floating in the cups. Hannah and I pull apart, take the cups and walk into the living room, where we sit next to Tony and Skye on the couch. Shortly after us, Sarah walks in and hands a cup to Tony, Skye, and Casey, then takes her place in a chair. I notice that Tony is still holding Skye's hand, a wonder if all his picking on the "hermit" all these years had been cover for something more, a code many of the boys I know use. I smile inspite of the pain on my face.

For the next ten minutes, we all just sit round the small room, sipping water and holding the cool, condensation-covered glasses to our faces, enjoying the empty, peaceful silence.

And then the police arrive, and the whole events of the last two days are told, six different points of view taken into account, plus the one Richardson has yet to give. Parents are called, the doc is loaded into an ambulence, along with a police officer, and the six of us are hauled off to be questioned further, in more detail. And I don't really hear any of it. I don't really feel any of it. I just sit and think of the girl I thought was lost to me, and wait for the time I get to see her again, to hold her and never let go.

"I love her," I whisper to no one imparticular and smile, numb to the pain, and to everything but the butterflies that have nested in my stomache.

~Okay, big action-packed chapter, haha. If there are still things that are unclear at this point (which I am sure there are), just tell me in a review, and I'll wait to write the next chapter/possible-epilogue so I can make sure I fit the answer in. Thank you for reading! :)~


	7. I'm Here Now

**~ Okay, Chapter Seven is here! Hope you all enjoy! This is the last chapter before the epilogue, soo... Yeah. We're almost at the story's end! So sad :( **

Chapter Seven: I'm Here Now

Yesterday, Tony and I were interrogated for hours before we were finally taken to the hospital to see the girls. Then they were interrogated as well, but they didn't have to sit in a small room with metal chairs and evil-looking guys in suits. They got to lie in a bed, hardly awake, and recollect their side of the story. It is now morning of the next day, and I am exausted. We all are.

"You awake, dude?" Tony says. I am, since it's basically impossible to sleep in these chairs.

"Yeah," I say, standing up to stretch. I look around me again. It's a nice waiting room, but small.

"All right. I'm going to the vending machines. You want something?" he asks.

"Yeah. Something. I don't care what. Thanks." He gets up and walks away, around the corner towards the machines.

When we came yesterday, they made us sit in the waiting rooms, not allowed to see Hannah and the others yet. They were tired from the day's events. They were tired from being checked. They were tired, just because. That's what the nurses had said. Now, as Tony came back into the room, he was tailed by yet another starched-white nurse. I looked over to the clock on the wall. _8:17 a.m._

"You can come see them now." I am up and out of my chair before she even finishes her sentence.

The nurse comes along to show us which room is Hannah's, then leaves off to do other things.

"Here, dude," Tony hands me a butterfinger before we walk into the room, and he pops open a small bag of chips. I look down at the little bar in my hands and think of the time Hannah's voice led me to Blue Spot Liquor.

I shake the memory off and head through the door. Sitting up in the first bed with a cup of bright red Jell-O is Hannah. Casey is in the next bed over, by the window. As I suspected he would, Tony nods in hello to Hannah, and walks straight over to Skye.

"How are you feeling?" I ask her. She looks sleepy and a bit on-edge, no doubt because being in a hospital is what led to this whole mess. I will never trust a doctor again.

"I," she begins, "I'm fine, I guess. Just sore."

"Tell me about it. Those chairs are not comfortable, to say the least," I laugh lightly, and am surprised when she does too.

"Have they called my parents yet?" She asks suddenly.

"No, actually, they haven't. There was some complication or something. They said we might as well put off the news long enough for you to rest, because they wouldn't have been able to see you anyway. We should be able to call them now, though." I tell her, a questioning tone underlining the sentence.

"I guess...," she trails off, and I can tell she's still slightly out of it from the medications and what not. I take her Jell-O and let her drift back to sleep. I find myself staring at the soft planes of her face, and I reach a hand over and gently caress her cheek with a finger.

She smiles and a single tear slips out of her sleeping eyes, rolling silently down her face.

*Tony's POV*

We walk into the hospital room and there's Skye, looking out the window, almost oblivious to our arrival. She looks so wounded, emotionally, physically. It pisses me off the way people think they can walk all over such raw beauty. I want to break their faces. Instead, I only nod to Hannah and walk over to Skye's bedside.

She still doesn't register my presence, but I don't mind. The moment of non-existence let's me gaze at her unnoticed. She's got a gentle face, the lush brown locks of hair framing it perfectly. I want to kiss her, a moment I've dreamt about. But I won't. Not yet. Not now.

"Hi," she whispers, clearly noticing me for the first time.

"Hey," I say, almost as quiet. "You feeling okay?"

"Yeah, well enough, I guess." She tells me. I can see the torture in her eyes when she looks at me. I can see the love, the hate, combined with the guilty feeling of letting so many people down. That's what she thinks, that she's let people down. But she hasn't. She did everything she could, and she saved them all.

I sit down on the edge of the bed, at her right side. She reaches a hand out slowly, surprising me, and caresses my arm.

"Why did it take this much?" She asks suddenly, addressing several things at once. I don't know which she's speaking of, and just wait for her to continue. "Why did it take so long for me to make that small crack in the shell? Why couldn't I fight him?"

She sounds so scared, so mad at herself. "Skye, it wasn't your fault. He's a manipulative bastard. It's not like you could have foreseen that when you first met." I don't know if I said anything near the right words, and I sure as hell didn't say what I really wanted to. _Shh, I'm here now, nothing can harm you. I love you, I'll never leave..._

She reaches that same hand up and touches my cheek, looking into my eyes. Almost immediately, I'm overcome with the need to hold her. I curl my arms around her, and she melts into my chest, returning the embrace. And in that movement, that one connection, I know she feels it.

"I love you, Skye." I can't help it, and it's out before I even realize it was said out loud.

"I think I love you, too," she barely makes any sound at all, and tears begin rolling down her cheeks.

**~ Right, so, did you think this was good? Is the relationship between Tony and Skye too much? Oh well... :) Review! Review! ~**


	8. Epilogue

**~ Thank you my kind readers! We are at our story's end here. :( Anyway, please enjoy! ~**

Epilogue

It's been a week now, since the girls were all reunited with their parents. The tales were told, the understanding endless, if even faked a bit; their parents weren't interested in understanding, only in the joy of having their daughters back. And that is probably as it should be.

It's also been a week now, since Dr. Richardson was found out. They fixed him up, and he's currently still recovering, after which he'll be taken to court, prison, yada yada yada.

Hannah and the others were released from the hospital a day or two ago, and I haven't left her side since. I suspect Tony and Skye have been the same. And then we sort of fell back into normality, as if nothing ever happened outside of two new relationships.

At the moment, we're all heading out to see a movie. The four of us are in Tony's car, pulling into the parking lot. I can see Sarah and Casey outside the lobby doors, waiting for us.

"Oh, good, they're here," Skye says with a smile. She smiles a lot lately, and she's started dressing normal again.

We all step out of the car and head towards the ticket booth. The girls head over to Sarah and Casey, leaving me and Tony to buy the tickets.

"Four for Alice In Wonderland, please," Tony says, retrieving the tickets and paying the guy behind the glass. We go into the lobby, where the girls have already bought popcorn and sodas.

"You ready?" Casey asks.

We nod and the six of us head into the darkening theater. We head into a middle row and take our seats, Hannah and I first, then Casey and Sarah, Tony and Skye.

I hold Hannah's hand, intertwining our fingers, and briefly wonder how I managed to find such a raw, such a real, love. And then the movie begins, and all is silent.

It's a funny thing, love. Keeps you together in life, keeps you together in death. It can drive people to be insane, it can drive people out of their insanity. It's both a sickness and a cure, and it lives inside us all; and like any sickness, different people react in different ways. Some fall hard to it every time, so far they may brink on death. Others find love one too many times, and grow immune to the effects of its disease. It isn't something one really has power over necessarily, and it isn't something one can control. We can only ever bend ourselves to fit its pattern, the curves of its power. And we make ourselves fall into place, until there is nothing left.

Such is the story of Hannah and Clay, of Tony and Skye, of Casey and Sarah. They found love in strange places, only bound when death brought them together, and then faded softly into their own temporary forevers.

**~ Hope you all liked the end *tear* and I hope I didn't disappoint. Who knows, maybe the relationships of Clay and Hannah, Tony and Skye, and Sarah and Casey with resurface someday. Maybe. Anyway, review! Please. I want to know if the ending was too dull or anything... So please, review away! :) Good bye, for now.**


	9. another authors note sorry

New Note From Me

Dudes, I noticed some of you skipped the "new" chapter seven... it looks like I only updated with one chapter today, I know, because I accidentally deleted the last author's note that was there. So I'm telling you now, go back and don't just read the epilogue, read I'm Here Now, too, because it is also a new chapter...................

Hope this made sense, haha :) Thanks for wasting your time to read this, and I really hope you liked my story, btw!

*She Who Means No Harm*


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